A Dark Faerie Tale Series Omnibus Edition (27 page)

“Believe, Shade. I believe since you are able to touch me, you are immune to my powers. It will be all right.” He whispered the last words and hugged her tightly. They closed their eyes as the blue flickers of fire crackled over his skin. The next thing she knew, she felt the bolt of energy discharge from his body, like a small earthquake vibrating through her. The bolt snapped and sent a thunderous boom around them. When it was done, just a moment later, she peeked around his chest to see that the first ring of soldiers surrounding them were down, most knocked out while others moaned in distress.

“It worked, Dylan!” She stopped as she watched the next wave of soldiers creep in, stepping over the others cautiously and staring at the pair of them in disbelief.

“Damn it! It’s a blasted Teleen; grab the lightning rods from the armory stash now! We’ve got to control the lightning before we can overpower him!” The captain’s face was beet red and sweat beaded on his face as he fumbled back from the fallen ones. “Hurry up!” he yelled.

The soldiers stood back as they waited for the rods to be handed out.

“Lightning rods? Dylan, what are they gonna do with the rods?” Shade turned around and watched the soldiers pass stacks of rods around the group.

Dylan breathed in and shook his head. “The rods will render me powerless; they will draw my power into the rods and leave me harmless. We’ve got to get out of here now.” He spun around and watched the soldiers gear up and advance again. He then turned to Shade and looked down into her shining brown eyes.

“Shade, listen to me. There’s a legend that says the holder of the water of the Santiran Fountains can use it to wish for anything they want, just once, and it will be granted by the water’s magic. Now I’m going to hold onto you, and you try to think as hard as you can of the Guildrin forest and imagine being back there once more, got it?”

“Yes, but, there’s no freakin’ way that will work!”

Dylan re-sheathed his swords, pulled her into his embrace and smiled. “I guess we’ll find out. Now wish us home, Shade. Do it now!”

Shade closed her eyes, feeling the soldiers’ auras vibrating around them and closing in. She breathed in, thinking of Queen Zinara, Ilarial and her newfound friends. She visualized the steps leading down to the Guildrin living quarters, the only place she had ever felt safe in Faerie.

Dylan’s arms felt warm and strong around her, and she only hoped he would continue to hold her this way. She wished him safe; herself and the others too. Unscrewing the cap of the flask, she whispered her thoughts into the bottle she had grasped tightly in her hands. She felt Dylan’s lips on her head, warm and firm as she wished them all back home safe, as hard as she could.

A peaceful feeling washed over them like a crashing wave. In just that instant, yelling and cursing blew up around them, followed by an intense silence. The sound of tree leaves rustling and birds chirping in the slight breeze made Shade open her eyes. They stood by the great tree to the Guildrin Court as if they never had left. She gasped, looking up at Dylan.

“You did it! Oh man, you did it, Shade! We’re home!” Dylan jumped and hopped about, hollering out his joy. Returning to her and lifting her up with his arms, he swung her around. Shade breathed in with relief. A moment later, another whoosh sounded around them. The entire gang stood there, looking startled and shocked.

“Oh, wow!” She ran and hugged the tall sorceress Braelynn and turned to embrace them all one by one. Hot steaming tears streamed down her cheeks. Every one of them was there. Everyone but Sylphi had returned, just as she had wished. They were all shocked and surprised but intact and safe. Shade did not ponder very long about where Sylphi had gone. Shade wasn’t missing her.

“What just happened? We’re home! How the…? What the…?” Soap was spinning around, looking at the landscape, absolutely petrified. Shade ran, hugged him tight and pulled back an inch to see his face. He grinned back to her and nodded. “This can only mean one thing. You did it; you actually did it, and without us to aid you, at that! You made it to the fountains, didn’t you? Incredible; how did you do it? How did you get us all home? One minute we were searching for you around the base of the Santiran mountains; we had just picked up your trail, and now here we are, home sweet home.” He sighed and hugged her again even tighter.

“Okay, let go; I can’t breathe!” she cried happily. He let go abruptly but caught her as she stumbled backward.

“Sorry!” He grinned and laughed. She laughed along with him, feeling elated.

“Do you have the water, then?” Shade nodded at Sary, who had worked her way up to her. “You did it, Shade. You saved our people!” Sary hugged her and joined the laughter.

“Let’s go home, everyone. It’s been a long journey, and it’s time to celebrate! Queen Zinara will be absolutely delighted. We will win this war against the Unseelie after all! We have new allies joining us for victory!” Jack smiled widely as he hugged everyone in the group. Everyone agreed and nodded. The stairs to the underground opened and they each descended, laughing and chatting with each other, all the strain of the journey lifted at once.

“Who are our new allies, Jack?” Shade inquired.

“Oh, sorry, you probably haven’t heard about it yet, but, on our way to the Santiran fountains, we ran into a group of villagers who proclaimed that Prince Lotinar had returned and sided with Queen Zinara. This will prove most useful to our cause.” Shade pondered what he had said, not really knowing of whom they spoke, and suddenly thought of something else.

“Wait, um, was Sylphi with you guys? Where is she?” Shade asked, not that she really cared.

“Sylphi? She ran at the battle with Lady Blythe. She probably returned to the Teleen Caverns. She most likely got too scared to fight,” Ewan chuckled.
Shade wasn’t the only one not missing Sylphi.

Shade approached the first step to the mound but turned to see Dylan watching her.

“The blood bind is still in place. I thought it might be fulfilled at journey’s end, but it’s not,” he whispered as his eyes stared off into the forest, glazing over. His face was serious and contemplative.

“I’m sorry, Dylan; you know I would break it if I could. What do you think has to be done to end it?” Shade placed her hand on his arm to pull him back into the present. He returned his gaze to her and smiled through the sadness.

“It’s all right, Shade, I know now that this is my destiny. I’m not meant to be captain of the Teleen guard anymore. I’m glad I met you, Shade. Changes are good.” His eyes sparkled in the dimming light of the dusk. The orange glow spread across the sky and dimmed the forest floor as the sun crept away to slumber.

“I’m glad we met, too. Come on, let’s get some real food and rest for once. After we give the flask to the Queen, I can go home and see my family.”

Dylan’s face darkened in gloom as he stared back at her. “Home? You’re leaving? Well, I guess you would want to go home, wouldn’t you. I won’t be returning home, probably not for a long time.” He pressed his lips together and stepped forward toward the stairs. “I have to warn you, Shade. I have to stay close to where you are, or my blood burns inside me.”

“I know. You could come, you know. You could meet my family. I’m sure I could think of something to tell my mother. You could definitely pass for a teenager. I could say your family is moving out of town, and you need a place to stay so you can graduate at our high school. What do you think? We do have a guest room; my mom rarely uses it, but I’m pretty sure she’d agree to letting you stay with us.” She stood before him, staring down the stairs of the faery mound.

He suddenly turned, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Yes, that would be good. I think that since our blood bind is still in place, I will have to stay near you somehow. I guess that would be best, at least until the bond’s requirements are fulfilled and it lets me go home.”

Shade beamed. She could feel his anxiety pulsating out toward her. Something about the fountains had linked them even closer. She flushed red as she remembered the burn of his lips against hers. She hoped for Dylan’s sake they wouldn’t be bound for too much longer. However, as they descended into the faerie court and out of sight, she knew she wasn’t ready to let him go.

(A Dark Faerie Tale #2)

For my children:

Ethan, Rayven, Maximus, and Elias.

You are all my light in the dark, and I am blessed to have you in my life.

Mommy loves you!!!

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I thank God for everything he has blessed me with. Without his wisdom and guidance, I wouldn’t be here.

I want to thank my family and friends. There are so many of you who have cheered me on in times that I wanted to give up and throw the whole thing out the window. Without you, I could not have gone this far. I want to personally thank Amber Tunney, my BFF, whose encouragement and wise words helped me write better and sleep at night. Amy Conley, the best proofreader ever, and whose awesome enthusiasm makes me smile every day. Daniel & Sandy Alcaraz, all our talks and brainstorming helped me immensely, and I am blessed to have you guys in my life. Thank you to Cyndi Stauff for all your advice and help. My cousin, Natalia Lopez: I strive to face life with as much life as you. Love you, Prima!
Also to Michael K. Rose, who’s awesome support has only made my work thrive, thank you!

I also want to thank my lovely RN coworkers and friends. The list of names is so long, probably as long as this book. Each and every one of you have helped me in one way or another, whether by editing, reading my stories, gushing about it, giving me suggestions, or just supporting this starving author. I love all of you. You are the awesome in this world!

Chapter One

SHADE’S ONLY THOUGHT
was of running. She let the ground fly under her feet, feeling the dirt shifting with her shoes as they were imprinting themselves into the dark, soft earth. She wasn’t afraid, nor did she have to run. No, she
wanted
to run. The need to feel the air rush past her with its fingers ripping through her hair, and the bushes and leaves whipping on her skin was overwhelming. The fresh earthy air fed her lungs, and the beating of her racing heart was the drummer of the tempo.

Running in the forest had turned into a soothing meditation for her since returning from the Santiran Fountains. It was funny that the woods seemed to have become her sanctuary, even though her adventures in the great outdoors had been no less than scary. She often wondered; since her powers had grown, did it mean the faery in her now craved the intimacy of nature more and more? Regardless, she enjoyed her daily sprints in the forests around her house.

The solitude gave her time to think. To think about her powers, her life, her future, and her commitments. She had pledged her allegiance to the Guildrin Clan, a Seelie Court of Faeries. Shade hadn’t realized how much allying oneself with faeries would involve, but for now she was happy it did involve a lot of magical training, weapons training, fight training, and the history of the fey lessons. It was a Fey University of sorts. Her brain was often fried and required her to use her daily runs to recharge it.

*****

SHADE’S REFLECTION STARTLED
her in the dismal dark of night. The mirrored closet doors reversed the room enough to make her wonder where the heck she was. Blinking, she rubbed her face and let her eyes adjust to the dim twilight. She let her breathing slow to a more calming rate as her heart slowed its frantic flutter. It was just another nightmare to wake her from her sleep. They’d become more and more frequent since returning from the long journey across Faerie.  The dangers she’d endured to retrieve a powerful Santiran Water Magic for Queen Zinara of the Guildrin Seelie Court had left its mark. She wasn’t exactly sure what had triggered the nightmares, but the delirium of sleeplessness was getting old fast.

The soft tap on her door as it slowly creaked open made her jump again.

“Shade, are you alright?” Dylan’s whisper floated across the room to her. His hair was growing out and lay in dark wisps across his left eye. His piercing steel-grey eyes seemed to glow in the dim twilight and flashed about the room as if scanning for disturbances. She lay back, relieved to see the Faerie guard. Dylan waited patiently as she reached over to click the nightstand light on.

“Yes, Dylan, I’m fine. Just another bad dream.” She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Her hair was a messy chestnut tangle which snarled around her shoulders. She watched Dylan as he gave her a slight nod and retreated, clicking the door shut behind him. She wondered how he always knew when something was going on with her. He just seemed to be there, immediately, every time. Of course, being so near and down the hall at her house did seem to have something to do with it.

Her mom had been cool when Shade had brought him home and introduced him as her new friend from school who needed a place to stay so he could graduate from their high school. They had played it off like his family was moving for his father’s work, and he didn’t want to change schools. Dylan had appeared as innocent as a teenage boy could appear. He had used his glamour and charms on her mother. Somehow, it had worked, and Shade’s mom had agreed to let him stay. Her mother wasn’t naïve; she had her hawk eyes on them constantly, but she seemed to loosen up after a few weeks had gone by without incident.

Shade smiled at the thought. Dylan did make her heart jump with a flip or two when he was nearby, but they had not really had much time together since returning from the journey. School graduation, parties, and high school friends had sucked up her time like leeches. Ultimately, it had kept their conversations to a minimum, but that hadn’t kept her from dragging him along to every function. He hadn’t found them quite to his liking, but he’d been too curious to admit he really hadn’t minded going with her that much and seeing what went on at the parties. At the very least, he liked to be near her. She was glad her mother hadn’t objected when Dylan had asked to stay longer, probably for the whole summer. Her mother had just nodded and smiled while moving about her day as usual.

Shade reached over and clicked off her lamp, robbing the room of light. Blinking, she let her eyes adjust to the night glow which slowly drizzled in from the streetlights outside. Wiggling down into her bed, she pulled her pillow under her head and sighed. The sweet warmth and softness of her bed beckoned her back into the lull of sleep. She silently prayed the nightmares would stay away, at least for tonight.